Sacred.

Joshua has been in desperate need of new Crocs for quite some time now. I am not a big fan of Crocs, so Erik and I bought him a pair of Merrells. But, unfortunately, they weren't to his liking. He still wanted to wear his old Crocs. So, last week I broke down and bought him a new pair of Crocs.

I had trouble finding them. I finally found a pair at a locally owned department store. A nice lady helped us find the Crocs we needed and then proceeded to checked us out. Joshua wanted to wear his new Crocs out, so the nice lady cut the tags off and helped him into his new shoes. She picked up his old Crocs and carelessly said, "Would you like me to throw these away for you?"

Umm. Excuse me. Did I hear her correctly? "Throw these away?"

Umm. No. Or, at least not right here, right now.

I wanted to tell her that these were Joshua's first pair of Crocs. They have traveled many miles on his feet. He has worn the soles slick with play. They are torn and tattered. Memories flood my heart when I look at them. Take for instance, the missing back strap on the left Croc. . . His Aunt's dog ate that strap while Joshua, completely unaware, swam in her pool.

Beloved shoes.

Joshua has worn them nearly every day for the past year and a half. They have been on many adventures, won several front-yard races, and pushed the gas on Joshua's beloved John Deere Gator. They have trod the mountains of Tennessee, too many zoos to count, and Orlando's Magic Kingdom. He met his little brother, Elijah, for the first time in those Crocs.

Joshua loves his old Crocs, and I do to. I will throw them away, but not right away. I'm just not ready to let go, just yet. . . They deserve a special going away party or burial ceremony of sorts. These aren't your ordinary pair of shoes. These are Joshua's Crocs, his favorite shoes.

I wanted to tell her all that, but I held my tongue.

And, I simply said, "No, thank you. They are sacred."